I fell into writing about health shortly after grad school, where I realized I didn't want to work in a lab for the rest of my life! My areas of interest are the brain and behavior, as well as what influences the decisions we make about our health, and how the media helps and hinders people's understanding of health issues. As an undergraduate, I studied English Literature and Biopsychology at Vassar College, and got my PhD in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at CUNY's Graduate Center in New York City, where I grew up and live now. My day job is as Associate Editor with the health website, TheDoctorWillSeeYouNow.com. My work has appeared in several other publications, including TheAtlantic.com and YogaGlo.com, and I'm particularly excited to join the Forbes health team. Email me at alicegwalton [at] gmail [dot] com .

Sugar Makes You Stupid, But Omega-3s Will Smarten You Back Up

Though we may not have fully come to terms with it, in theory we know that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an adversary of health. Lots of work has been done looking at the effect of fructose on weight, liver function, diabetes risk, and even the growth of cancer cells. But not much has looked at the role of fructose in brain function, until now. Researchers have just reported that among the list of bodily ills that fructose contributes to, it may also “make you dumb.” Luckily, eating a diet rich in the healthy omega-3 fatty acids seems to counteract this phenomenon.

In the new study, UCLA researchers had rats spend a few days learning to navigate a maze. Then some of the rats ate diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids or deficient in them; some rats also drank a fructose solution in the place of their regular drinking water. After six weeks on their respective diets, the team put the rats back in the maze to see how well they recalled it.

The rats who had eaten omega-3-deficient diets were slower at completing the maze than the ones who ate diets rich in omega-3s. Those who drank the fructose solution instead of water were the worst-off of all when it came to their cognitive capabilities.

The rats also had important differences in how their bodies – and brains – were metabolizing sugar and functioning overall. The rats who had eaten diets without omega-3s had higher triglyceride levels as well as higher glucose and insulin levels. In fact the rats seemed to enter a state of insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), but this too was reversed by the addition of omega-3s.

Perhaps most interesting was the fact that the brains of rats without omega-3s showed a decrease in synaptic activity, the means by which brain cells “talk” to one another and which is critical in learning and memory. “The DHA-deprived animals were slower,” said study author Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, “and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to think clearly and recall the route they’d learned six weeks earlier.”

Insulin influences not only blood sugar, but it also affects the ways in which brain cells function. So being in a state of insulin-resistance might be what’s behind the problems in brain function. Gomez-Pinilla suggests that fructose might somehow block insulin’s effect on brain cells, and specifically how it signals neurons to store and release the sugar that is needed for the brain to function efficiently – and for us to think crisply and clearly.

The study also points to the fact that metabolic syndrome, which is plaguing so many Americans these days, can also adversely affect our cognitive abilities.

The important thing to remember is that not all fructose is created equal. “We’re not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants,” explained Gomez-Pinilla. “We’re more concerned about the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup, which is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative.”

Luckily, omega-3s seem to counteract the effect of fructose in part, although it’s probably a good idea to cut down on highly processed, high-fructose foods in the first place. And since our bodies are not very good producers of DHA and EPA, taking in the healthy fatty acids through diet or supplements may also be wise. The best sources of DHA/EPA are cold-water fish like tuna and salmon, and for the vegetarians out there, these forms may also be found in seaweed and algae (in small amounts), or in concentrated seaweed/algae supplements. Gomez recommends consuming about one gram of DHA every day.

The bottom line is that omega-3s may protect our brains – not just now, but in the years to come. “Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects the brain against fructose’s harmful effects,” said Gomez-Pinilla. “It’s like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases.”

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The article makes the following claim: “Though we may not have fully come to terms with it, in theory we know that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an adversary of health.”

It is the height of junk science to claim that HFCS is an “an adversary of health.” No such thing has ever been proves by people who have a legitimate understanding of food science. That this statement is included in the article is unfortunate because it makes it look political rather than scientific.

Researchers cram lab rats with ingredients that have no relationship to real world human consumption to establish that there is an effect? What a massive waste of time and money. We know, and have for a very long time, that if you consume too much of something, just about anything, lots of bad things can happen. People die from drinking too much water. Yes, water has an LD50. So what? Do we need to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to study the effects of drinking too much water has on humans? What a load.

The researchers do this intentionally so the scientific illiterate masses will take the conclusions out of context and clamor in fear for more study of the problem so that the government will protect us. This is exactly how Naderite organizations like CSPI flourish. It is also why the internet is filled with charlatans eager to sell you books that demonize one macronutrient over another when this is just a smokescreen for the real problem – energy consumed vs. energy burned.

Scientists looking for funding see this scenario play out over and over again, and don’t want to be left off the gravy train. To deny the relationship between these kinds of scientists and the media is to be ignorant of what scientific research has become.

I could waste my time reading all of their research, but my time is much more valuable. The abstract is missing all kinds of information that a legitimate researcher would have included. Maybe you’ve found just how much fructose they fed the rats and how that amount translates to human consumption. I’ll bet you anything, it has no relationship to real world usage by humans. If so, the research is meaningless –unless you know people who consume straight fructose for half of their total daily calories.

The article is irresponsible (at best) for even bringing up HFCS. The research is bogus if they fed these rats quantities of of fructose that overwhelms a body. If you’re still supportive of this kind of nonsense, I suggest you spend a week getting half of your normal intake of calories from salt (NaCl) and let us know if that has any effect on your health (it will). Then explain to us why we need to study the effects of relying on salt for half of your daily caloric intake. Sounds like a waste of money to me but you may see it differently.

You’re not wasting your time if you read these original research papers, you’re wasting your time by quickly reading abstracts and secondary articles without taking the time to understand what issues the actual study is addressing. If you spent a decent time reading, you’d see that the fructose dose is not the issue; it is the effect of n-3 fatty acids on cognition in an insulin resistant state. How is this meaningless? I guess these researchers are wasting their time studying a disease state that affects the masses and certainly some of our friends and family?

Nice article. Derailing main point. This is justifying one intake to fix another bad intake, Omega’s to counter the high-fructose corn syrup. Just head line “STOP DRINKING & EATING SUGAR PRODUCTS. It makes you over weight, causes liver damage, diabetes, s growth of cancer cells, and new studies shows it makes you dumber.” Diet is very hard to change. Constant media and commercials make cancer causing food seem like everyday normal food. This makes it impossible for most of the population to make good food decisions. With diabetes cases skyrocketing every year and effecting more and more children, we need to push for more restrictions on sugar product companies. Kick the companies out of everyday life. Just like the exposure and diminishing of the cigarette companies.

I think a lot of people see the word “Omega” and jump. There are different types of Omegas, and folks need to be aware of the differences between Omega 3 (the best!), Omega 6, and Omega 9. Just a thought.

If we look at the possible benefits versus risk and cost, take the fish oil (a reputable brand purified of mercury) in moderation and eliminate as much as possible the HFCS. Worst case scenario: if the fish oil has limited efficacy, you’re out .05 to .25 a day, depending on the brand. But you’ve cut junk calories — and with that, often highly processed food and beverages with other questionable additives. Likely your savings there more than makes up for the cost of the fish oil; and health benefits from better nutrition are considerable. Fish oil may not be a panacea; HFCS, not a toxic demon. But we have enough clinical and anecdotal evidence to link high consumption of HFCS products with metabolic syndrome and more. In contrast, consumers who avoid HFCS products and who take supplements such as fish oil tend to be healthier. It may not be the fish oil, but the self-conscious habits and monitoring of one’s health that matter more. But for pennies a day, it’s worth hedging one’s health bet.

My god what a horrible pathetic website this is. Everytime I load a new page I have to stare at a blank screen forever while the masses of share buttons and ads grind everything to a halt.

I hope the editors of this piece of shit magazine die in a fire, and think about what went wrong in their pathetic greedy lives that led to them to think it’s okay to produce such a terrible biased magazine and accumulate money at the expense of the common good.

“The important thing to remember is that not all fructose is created equal.”

I thought a fructose molecule was a fructose molecule was a fructose molecule. Unless thats false, all fructose is “created equal”. Fructose is fructose. Your liver wont know if that molecule came from a coke or an orange.

Sugar is not the cause. Sugar is a scapegoat. To ignore the other chemicals that are added. It is the CITRIC ACID added to the drinks, extracted from Aspergillus Niger mold, excrement (pooh). The pooh contains mycotoxins and bacteria from the mold. Aspergillus Niger is spreading through the body like a Candida infection. It feeds on corn fructose sugar from the drinks and then grows. Like a Candida infection it can cause rashes, depression, foggy mind, digestive issues and much more.